Miles Since Breakfast
by RainyDayKids
Summary: Nico gets adopted and now Will is his new foster brother. Nico's been drifting after his life was destroyed. He's got a world of problems and pain that he's past thinking about. Will is his caring, protective older brother who just wants to help Nico but finds himself falling for the enigmatic black haired boy.
1. Chapter 1

Nico di Angelo was born in Venice, Italy to Maria di Angelo and Hades something he couldn't remember. He had one older sister named Bianca and one younger half sister named Hazel with whom they shared the same father. His parents weren't married and his father only dropped in occasionally when they were little. Despite not having the ideal nuclear family, Nico had a pretty good life. His father could be a little distant and hard to warm up to but Nico knew he loved and cared about them, especially his mama. Besides, he still got to see his father when he came to visit, which is more than some other kids could say. His sister Bianca often acted more as another parent to Nico than a sibling but he couldn't really hate her for taking care of him. She was the closest person to him in the world, as it often is with siblings. And as for Hazel… well Nico had never met her since she lived in New Orleans all the way over in the states.

When he was nine years old, his family moved to the US. And although he didn't know it at the time, his whole life was about to go to hell.

* * *

Nico sat in a stupid plastic chair in a stupid white office in the stupid adoption agency. His social worker was sitting at her cluttered desk typing away at her computer something vitally important Nico was sure. The walls were a mind numbing white and there were some bland pictures nailed to them that depicted flowers or abstract colors and shit. Things designed no doubt to calm and soothe you but really just made you want to smash the glass and slit your wrists with the jagged edges.

He exhaled. How long had he been waiting? Ten minutes? Twenty? Long enough to have studied everything in the room twice. Maybe the Solace's had changed their minds. Maybe they had decided against taking him in or were having second thoughts. But he didn't think so. For one, they always seemed really excited and happy about it whenever he met them. Way more than him. And two, no one went through all that trouble just to not go through with it.

He sighed again and the social worker glanced at him. Nico started tapping his sneaker on the carpet. Finally, after a few more endless minutes the woman finished typing and stood up.  
"Ready Nico?" He didn't bother answering, just stood up too.

She drove him in her old car to the two story house and Nico found himself wondering why she was dropping him off instead of the family coming to pick him up.

Then too soon, they were there. His social worker was giving the foster parents some last minute information and then giving him some last minute information that he tuned out and pretty soon she was driving away and Nico was left in his new home.

Apollo and Naomi Solace smiled at him. "Come on Nico, we'll show you to your new room." They led him upstairs. The house was nice he supposed. It was neat, clean. It looked the way a family home should and there was probably a dozen or so houses that looked exactly like this. The parents talked to him about things like routines and chores and how they just wanted him to be comfortable and he could come to them for anything.

Will was sitting on the bed waiting for him in his new room. "Hey Nico" he greeted with a grin.

"Will" he acknowledged. He had met Will some months ago as his parents began the process of adopting Nico. He seemed okay. Normal, average. He was blond haired like his parents and blue eyed like his dad. He had a lean body, wore t-shirts with cargo shorts and was a couple inches taller than Nico. Nico thought he smiled a lot. Will was 15, a year older than himself and seemed overall to be pretty happy about the whole adoption thing. Nico wondered about that. He could understand if it annoyed or angered him. I mean what kid wants a stranger living in his house? And a new foster brother that could be messed up or dangerous. Nico figured most kids- no teenagers would be a little bothered but Will seemed perfectly okay with it. During the times he had visited at the adoption agency, Will had chatted with Nico making casual conversation or playing video games with him. He wasn't overly excited about getting a new brother but he wasn't sulking either.

"You'll be going to the same school as Will starting next week. He can show you around and help you get caught up with classes," Will's mother explained.

Ahh school. Nico hadn't been to school in almost four years. The last one had been a military academy called Westover Hall that his dad had paid for and sent them to. Before that, a boarding school in D.C. Because of his lapse in education, Nico's social worker had worked with his new school administration to set up a schedule and system to get caught up with the rest of the sophomores. He took this to mean he could fail the first few months and it would be okay.

"That's right. I can tutor you in whatever subject you need help with" Will added helpfully. Nico raised an eyebrow at this. Of course his foster family knew about his gap in education but Will offering to personally tutor him? That seemed like a bit much to Nico.

"Are you an honor student or something?" Nico's words were slightly mocking.

"Nope-" "No, but Will has remarkably high grades" Will and his mother answered at the same time.

Apollo spoke softly, "now we know you don't have many clothes." That was an understatement. "So we've compiled a wardrobe for you from Will's old clothes and the few your social worker brought over." The man gestured to the open closet in which Nico could see his new wardrobe hanging. "Now you're a little smaller than Will so his clothes might be a bit big on you but we tried to pick ones he had grown out of. As for the other clothes, well we thought we'd keep them in case there's some sentimental value you- "

"They're not my clothes. Just the ones they gave me at foster care" Nico flatly interrupted.

Apollo looked a little thrown off. "Oh…okay. Okay then, well we thought we'd take you to the mall later today so you could buy a couple things you like. This wardrobe is far from complete."

"That's right," Naomi added. "It'll be getting colder soon and you need some more winter clothes." _If I'm going to stay for the winter._

"Yeah he could do with a few sweaters," Apollo mused examining the open closet.

"What he really needs is pants. Some more jeans, maybe sweatpants…" Nico tuned them out as they started discussing what his wardrobe was lacking.

Will smiled at him. He seemed to notice Nico wasn't paying attention anymore.

"While we're on the topic of buying things," Nico zoned back in as Naomi addressed him. "We forgot to mention…" she glanced back at her husband then turned back to Nico again. "We give Will an allowance of $20 a week and it would only be fair to give you the same." Now Nico felt a little uncomfortable.

"Though if you ever need more, feel free to come talk to us about it" Apollo added. "Heaven knows Will always seems to run out," He shot a look at Will who smiled back apologetically.

Nico frowned, "My father already gives me an allowance."

The parents looked at each other. Will just looked curious.

"We know you have a bank trust, Nico-" Naomi started.

"No," Nico interrupted. "Aside from that I've got a bank account that my dad deposits money in for me."

Will's parents looked surprised for a second then Apollo said, "Well we still insist on giving you some cash and like Naomi said, it's only fair we provide for you the same as Will. You can use you the money in you bank account as savings or for emergencies. Is that okay with you?

Nico just shrugged. He figured it was better not to argue. Adults were weird about money.

The parents seemed satisfied with that. Naomi spoke brightly, "now lunch will be ready downstairs at one. We'll give you some time to recharge and what do you say, after we've finished eating we head to the mall, okay?"

"Any questions for us?" Apollo looked at him softly.

Nico had just one. "Do I have curfew?"

Apollo seemed thoughtful as he answered, "Well no. Not exactly. If there's some good reason you need to stay out late, we'll be understanding but anytime after ten you have to call and tell us where you are. It's usually lights out around here at eleven or twelve."

"And you better be with a friend," Naomi interjected. "No wandering around alone after dark." Nico didn't have any friends in this town as of yet. He wondered how that was supposed to work.

Naomi seemed to guess his thoughts. She smiled warmly. "And don't worry about making friends, dear. Will will introduce you to his at school."

"Absolutely" Will piped up.

Nico wasn't worried. He had grown accustomed to being alone a long time ago, it didn't matter to him. Besides, he always seemed to have a talent for drawing people in. Or manipulating them.

"Okay that's enough from us." Apollo put his arm around his wife's shoulders. "We'll call you down when dinner's ready." They left the room.

Will remained. "My parents want to give you some alone time." Nico figured. "My room is right next door. I'll be in there if you need me."

"Why would I need you?"

If Will was perturbed by his slight unfriendliness he didn't let on. He smiled, "oh you know, to talk." He left the room too.

Nico sat on the bed. It was very comfortable. Or he was just used to sleeping on a shitty spring mattress. He was finally alone. He could finally relax. Nico had a lot of things to think about. He was suspicious about the Solace's niceness. Giving him an allowance, buying him clothes, his own room, then leaving him alone. Weren't they afraid he was going to rob them and leave? And then there was Will, offering to tutor him, offering to share his friends. It all seemed too perfect to be true. He wondered what the catch was. Maybe the parents would turn out to be abusive fucks. Maybe Will was actually a sadistic bully thrilled to have a new victim to torment. Maybe, maybe, maybe. He knew he was imagining the worst but still decided to keep an eye out for if or when these new people turned on him. Living on the streets had taught Nico to be suspicious. You had to be suspicious, had to trust your instincts or you'd be dead.

Another weird thing, Nico was the only foster kid here. He knew lots of parents just took a bunch of foster kids in. Basically turning their houses into foster homes. But the Solaces seemed to have only wanted to adopt him. Were they planning on taking in more kids in the future? They hadn't mentioned anything of the sort but Nico supposed it was possible. Maybe they only wanted his money. Maybe they knew who his dad was and wanted some of his money. But this seemed less likely than the other theories. The Solace's seemed pretty well off judging by their house and the fact that Will had an allowance of $20 a week. He knew Apollo was a big shot doctor and Naomi was or had been an alternative country singer so no money didn't seem to be the reason. Nico couldn't figure it out. They weren't so altruistic and overly caring as to adopt a dozen foster kids but they weren't adopting because they needed the money either. They weren't famous enough to do it for publicity or anything like that. No, it seemed like they only wanted to adopt _him_ …. Whatever. Nico had so far allowed himself to be put in foster care and through the system only because he knew that if things took a bad turn he could hightail it out of there. Until then he'd decided to see where things went. And things were so far, so good. He could live here in this house for a few months with these people although he had no intention of getting close to any of them. Sure he knew they wanted him as part of their family, their son, brother but Nico wasn't going to get attached. They meant well, but to him this was just a place to crash for a while. Nothing more.

The bed was so comfortable that he actually ended up falling asleep on it. So he didn't hear when Apollo and Naomi called him down to lunch. It was only when Will came into his room, called to him softly and touched his arm that Nico awoke, alert almost instantly. He still had survival instincts running through him. Will took him down for lunch and they ate while making conversation. Or the Solace's did. Nico mostly listened. They talked about themselves but rarely asked about him. He knew they were going to be walking on eggshells around him. It wasn't the worst kind of treatment he had gotten as a 'troubled foster kid'. People seemed to assume the worst about you. Comparatively, Mr. and Mrs. Solace's desire to not question him about his past didn't bother him at all.

They drove him to the mall, which Nico noticed was within reasonable walking distance. Will tagged along and Nico sat next to him in the backseat of the car. They scoured through different stores, Will picking out a few things for himself. Nico mostly chose dark clothes that would help him blend in or go unnoticed; blacks or dark browns or navy blues. He didn't care much for style, going instead for practical clothing that would keep him warm and was made from durable material that would last for a long while. He needed clothes that could withstand the elements if he decided to leave.

After the mall they showed him around the neighborhood, even driving by his new school. After dinnertime Nico was given a tour of the house and now he was sitting in his bedroom while everyone else got ready for bed. He stared out the window into the night not really thinking anything at all. Will came in, stood in his doorway. Nico said nothing.

"Okay, Nico?" Will asked softly.

Nico looked at him and really thought about it. He supposed he was okay. There was just a lot. He didn't know how to take it all in. He shrugged.

Will came into his room, closing the door behind him before sitting down. _Cutting off one exit_ , he couldn't help thinking.

"I'll invite my friends over tomorrow so you can meet them."

"You don't have to."

"I want to." Will paused then smiled. "I mean; I know I can't force you to become friends with them. You might not like them; they might not like you but I figured it would be nice to know some people before you go to school."

"Nice of you."

"Thanks. I… I know my parents already told you but we really do just want you to be comfortable here."

"That's something else you can't force though isn't it?"

Will considered. "I guess. Some awkwardness is going to be inevitable in this situation. But we can do everything we can to make you feel better about it."

"And what about you?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think is worse?" Nico suddenly changed direction. "Moving into a new house full of strangers or having a stranger move into your house?"

Will smiled weakly and ran a hand through his shaggy blonde hair. "I suppose moving into a house full of strangers is weirder." He was silent for a second. "But I hope we can overcome being strangers soon." Nico didn't reply.

"Tell me about yourself." Will looked directly at him.

Nico gave him a closed smile; the first time he had smiled all day. _Ahh so this was what he wanted_. It wasn't completely unexpected. Nico knew these people would be curious about him, want to know more about his past, want to understand him.

"What do you want to know?"

"Before foster care, where were you?"

"On the streets," Nico answered bluntly. He liked seeing how that answer made people uncomfortable but Will didn't hesitate.

"Before that?"

Nico hummed as he thought back. "Military school." It was basically the truth, just leaving out a few details.

"And you dropped out?"

"Yeah."

"Was it so terrible?"

"No. Westover was like a big evil castle that hung medieval war weapons as decoration," Nico remembered. "The place was strict but that just meant the kids were wild whenever they were let loose."

Will looked intrigued. "You went to school in a castle? Like Harry Potter? That's so cool. But why did you drop out?"

Nico's face hardened. He shrugged nonchalantly. This was not a topic he wanted to talk about.

Will seemed to take the hint and didn't press him. "What about your parents?"

"My mom died in a hotel building collapse. My dad's a businessman. He owns a lot of land, mining companies and has a chain of funeral homes."

"But then why- "

Nico knew what he was going to ask. "My dad didn't get custody. He was never married to my mom, I don't carry his last name and I was born in Italy so the records were lost or hard to transfer. Its just a bunch of legal stuff."

"Oh." Will frowned. "But still, if he's so powerful- "

"I was never close to my dad," Nico interrupted again. "And he travels a lot so it's not like he could have raised me anyway. He did let me stay at his place unofficially though. I guess he just knew he couldn't control me, couldn't stop me from leaving so this was the best solution. He gives me money through my bank account so I can take whatever I need and I can stay at his place whenever I want. He's mostly not there anyway."

Will seemed to process all of this. "So… why aren't you there now?"

Nico smiled wryly. "Well I got caught. And put in foster care."

Will nodded in understanding. "And now you're here."

"And now I'm here."

"Don't run Nico."

"What?" Nico was taken aback.

Will fixed him with a soft yet somehow determined look. "Don't run away from us. You could have a nice life here; go to school, be part of our family."

Nico was a little speechless but Will didn't give him a chance to answer. "Seriously. I'm happy to have you for a brother. And I'd like to be your friend too, if you give me the chance. My door is always open to you."

Nico swallowed then put on a sarcastic smile. "Aren't you afraid I'm going to murder you in your sleep? You have no idea what kind of person I am. I could be anybody."

Will smiled at him too and leaned forward. "Well you have to give trust to get trust. And I look forward to finding out exactly what kind of person you are." _No you won't._

Will got up and left his room, which seemed a bit hotter now then before.

Nico ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Nothing had changed. He was still going to see where this would go. But now he was slightly curious about Will himself. Why was he so... so welcoming? It was his parents adopting Nico not Will himself.

He laid in his bed under the covers, lights turned off. The dim blue light from a streetlamp filtered in through his window. Here he was. Laying in a bedroom in this nice family home. Where Nico had allowed himself to drift. That's what he was really doing. He drifted from place to place, city to town. From people's couches to floors to park benches. He drifted from his father's high rise condo, coming and leaving but never staying. It was why he allowed himself to get taken in foster care. He was just going wherever life took him because he had no destination. Nico wondered how many more places he would drift to in his life; he was only fourteen. Yet he was so weary already. And so lost in too many senses of the word.


	2. Chapter 2

When Nico woke up the next morning he momentarily couldn't remember where he was. It was a feeling he was unfortunately familiar with. Then it came back to him. Right; the Solace's, the adoption.

Will's friends came over that afternoon. Cecil and Kayla were going to be sophomores like Will while Lou Ellen and Austin were rising freshman like him. They were friendly yet curious about him, about Will's new brother. Nico was polite, if a little reserved. He didn't give them much insight to go on. Nico suspected Will had talked to them beforehand because they all very ostensibly avoided talking about where he was before he came to live with Will. Nico learned that Cecil was a kleptomaniac/slacker type, Austin was really into band, Kayla was into archery and Lou Ellen was a little mysterious and weird. She seemed a bit flustered around him.

Cecil and Kayla made conversation by telling Nico everything he needed or could ever want to know about his new school. What teachers were the best, which were the worst, who to avoid, best places to chill, Will volunteering information every now and then. He listened out of courtesy, only half heartedly paying attention. Again, none of this really mattered to him. He wasn't worried about school. Lou Ellen and Austin told him everything about his new home, the places to go, his neighbors, etc. Then the six of them watched a movie in the living room on the flat screen. Nico didn't really pay attention to that either. It was some stupid slapstick comedy with celebrity actors. Instead he spent half the time watching the other kids, observing their reactions and studying them. Will glanced over at him a few times, as if watching him like he was watching them.

After they left, Will came back to him. "So? What'd you think?"

Nico shrugged noncommittally. "They're nice." He could tell they felt bad for him. He was the homeless foster kid who lived on the streets who had probably lost his parents or been kicked out. They didn't know the half of it but their pity made them extra nice to him.

"Yeah, they're good people." Will scratched the side of his neck. "Listen, -"

"What twenty questions again?" Nico teased.

Will smiled weakly, eyes apologetic. "No. Sorry if my questions bothered you. I actually just wanted to talk some more-"

Nico stopped him right there. "Sorry but your dad needs me. He's taking me to the hospital to make sure I've got all my shots in order."

Will nodded. "Oh right. That's important."

Nico trudged downstairs.

Apollo drove him to the hospital. As part of his admission into the new school, Nico had to complete a stack of health forms that included a slew of vaccinations. He was _so_ looking forward to it.

"Thanks for driving me, Mr. Solace."

The man looked over at him. "Oh Nico, you don't have to call me that. Me and Naomi, we're your parents now. We would love it if you called us mom and dad."

"Thanks for driving me…Apollo."

Apollo smiled sadly and kept driving.

Sitting on a cot inside the patient room, Nico heard the doctor outside the door talking to Apollo, explaining his condition of malnourishment and being underweight. Nico was just glad he'd been clean for the past few months so they hadn't found any drugs in his system. As for his weight, well it wasn't like he didn't have access to food. The foster care had actually provided adequate meals even if the food did taste like crap. Nico just didn't have much of an appetite recently. And in the past two years. As for the malnourishment, it wasn't like he had had access to a kitchen while he was living on his own. No, he had to eat processed, pre made meals. Nico had gotten so sick of eating fast food that he often opted out of eating all together.

He couldn't help thinking, sitting at the Solace's dining table that night at dinner, what a nice change it was to finally eat home cooked _real_ food. Even if he couldn't eat much of it.

"Want seconds, Nico?"

He shook his head. He had eaten only half the plate.

Apollo shared a worried glance with his wife. He knew they wanted him to gain weight but honestly if he ate anymore, he was sure to be sick. His stomach had to have shrunk down to size of a squirrel's.

* * *

That night, Will found him in the kitchen, wandering around the house.

"Hey," Will's voice was raspy. "Why are you up?"

Nico shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

"Is it the new bed?" Will looked at him sympathetically.

Nico laughed softly. "No, you get used to sleeping in weird places when you're a runaway."

Will took a step closer. "Then why couldn't you sleep?"

"I…" Nico looked at a loss for words for a second. "This is normal for me."

"What, not being able to sleep?"

"That and I don't need much sleep anyway."

"How many hours a night do you sleep?" Will looked hard at him.

Nico shrugged. He didn't want to say. Will might… do something. Like tell his parents. Who might take him to the doctor.

Will's eyes softened. He held out his hand, "come with me."

Nico looked at him warily but obeyed.

Will led him upstairs but before they reached Nico's room, Will led him into his own room. He then pulled him softly towards his bed.

"What are you doing?"

"Sometimes it helps to sleep with someone else. And new mattresses can be too firm. Mine is worn. You might sleep better here."

Nico didn't bother to argue that none of that would change his sleeping habits, that his problem wasn't actually a physical one. He laid next to Will in bed who wrapped an arm around him. He felt Will's warm body next to his and stared up at the dark ceiling. Eventually Will's breathing evened out. Nico looked at his sleeping face, or what he could see of it in the dark. Will looked peaceful. His mouth slightly open, lips parted.

The next thing Nico knew, he was sitting up in bed, sunlight streaming in through the window. He looked around, just amazed. He had actually slept through the entire night. A whole nine hours. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept for so long without staying up for days beforehand. Next to him Will stirred. He opened up his eyes, peeping blue revealed to the world.

"Hey," Will's voice was husky. "How'd you sleep?"

Nico stared for a second. "Good actually," disbelief colored his tone.

Will smiled lazily. "See, I was right."

Will didn't get how big this was. He didn't know that he usually got only fours hours of sleep on an average night, sometimes less and five if he was lucky.

"So, you'll be sleeping with me from now on?"

"You're just trying to get me into your bed." Will blushed. Aww.

"Hey it worked didn't it?" Will teased back.

Nico chuckled. "This time, Solace."

* * *

Naomi drove them to school on Nico's first day. When they arrived, Will's friends were waiting for them.

"Hey check it out," Austin said pointing at Nico's schedule. "We've got some classes together."

It was true. Nico ended up having all of Will's friends in one class or another. This school was weird in that all grades were mixed together.

For lunch, he was dragged outside by Will and his friends to the sunny courtyard where it was 'much nicer.' There were kids everywhere, greeting their friends, sharing stories, talking about classes and teachers. He watched them with a sense of detachment. He didn't feel left out but he didn't feel part of it either.

Nico sat on an outdoor table surrounded by Kayla, Austin, Cecil, Lou Ellen, and Will. Other people would come by occasionally stopping to chat with one or more of them. Like this new group; a curly haired Hispanic guy, a pretty girl and a blonde guy.

"Guys this is Nico." Kayla caught his attention when she spoke his name. She was introducing him to the new group of kids. She cast a conspiratorial look at the three. "Will's new brother," she explained. Realization lit their faces.

The pretty girl smirked. "Oh. Will's been raving all week about you."

Will flushed and Nico raised an eyebrow at him.

And then a surprised voice, "Nico?" The blonde guy had stayed at the back of the group so Nico hadn't been able to get a good look at him. But now he did.

"Jason?" Disbelief colored his tone.

It _was_ him. Jason Grace standing there. _What are the odds?_

Will looked between them, an unsure expression on his face. "Sooo I take it you guys have met?"

Nico was still too surprised to answer.

"Yeah, yeah we met before…at uh this camp I worked at." Jason explained still staring at Nico.

The pretty girl looked at his face. "Camp Jupiter? That place for homeless kids you stayed at?"

Jason finally broke his gaze to look at her. "Yeah, that's the one."

Will looked questioningly at Nico. "What is this camp?"

Nico swallowed. "Camp Jupiter, it's… a place for homeless kids, orphans, runaways where they can live and work and learn classes. Jason was the um leader or rather the co-leader of the place."

"Woah," Cecil looked at him. "You were in charge of the place?"

Jason nodded looking slightly uncomfortable. "Yeah. There the kids are ranked and can take leadership positions as they move up and and advance. It's a good place that teaches discipline and hard work. Also how to fight."

"Cool," said Lou Ellen, an impressed look on her face.

Will looked at Nico. "And you stayed at this camp?"

Nico hesitated. "No. I just visited on occasion."

He turned back to Jason. "But you. Why aren't you there now? Are you going to school here?"

"Yeah. For the school year I'm living with my girlfriend at her dad's house," He put his arm around the pretty girl. "But I go back there for the summer and on breaks."

"Hi, Piper McLean," The girl waved her hand at him as she introduced herself.

"Nico di Angelo," he murmured back.

"What are you doing here?" Jason finally asked him.

"I got put in foster care," For some reason, saying that made Nico feel embarrassed. "And then Will's family adopted me," Nico gestured half heartedly at Will.

"That's, that's great Nico" Jason sounded genuinely happy for him even though he looked a little confused.

"Well hey, you guys get to spend a whole three years getting reacquainted," The Hispanic kid piped in. He talked fast and his hands never stopped moving. "Isn't that great?"

Nico and Jason eyed each other a little unsure. They hadn't exactly been friends at Camp Jupiter. Nico just knew Jason as camp praetor. He had talked to him only a few times. And he knew Jason didn't trust him like the rest of kids at Camp Jupiter. It was a place for homeless, impoverished kids, sometimes orphans. Not for runaways with multimillionaire dads. It didn't matter that Nico still lived on the streets. The campers hadn't accepted him.

"I'm Leo by the way. Leo Valdez," the guy spoke up again when no one had said anything. "Also known as bad boy supreme," he grinned.

The bell rang just then thankfully as Nico couldn't think of what to say.

"Come on Nico," Will said quietly. "I'll take you to your next class."

Piper smiled mysteriously and grabbed his wrist, "But we have to hang out sometime, all of us. We've got to know more about Will's new adopted brother."

He made himself give her a friendly smile. "Sure, I'll look forward to it."

They went to class. When the teacher turned around to write on the chalkboard Will leaned over to him.

"Why didn't you stay at that camp?" He whispered.

"They didn't like me there. Because of my dad." Will still looked confused.

"The homeless are a suspicious bunch," he shrugged.

Will let it drop. "You and Jason, you guys close?"

"Not really. More… acquaintances."

"Just acquaintances?"

Nico smirked. "Are you asking whether we were _involved?_ " Will's ears turned red. "Well Jason's decently hot but as you can see, he's got a girlfriend."

Will looked embarrassed and said nothing else.

* * *

That evening, Nico called Hazel.

"Hey Hazel, its me."

"Nico?" Nico swallowed. _God her voice._

He missed her so very much. It had been nearly seven months since they'd last seen each other.

"Nico where have you been?"

He cleared his throat. "I'm living with this family now, Haze."

"What?"

"I got put in foster care… and this family adopted me."

"Nico" Hazel's voice was reproachful. "If you were put in foster care then its because you _let_ yourself get put in foster care. Why? Why are you doing this? And who is this family?"

"Hazel…it's okay. The family is nice …and if they're not I'll just run. I just got tired, okay?" His voice grew weary near the end until he forced some fake cheer back into it, "Besides I wanted to try something new and I thought why not?"

"Nico…" Hazel's voice trailed off and Nico hated it. Hated that Hazel could see right through him. Hated that Hazel _knew._

"I'm coming to meet them." Hazel's voice was full of sudden determination.

He sighed. He knew he couldn't stop her so he gave her the address.

"They're called Apollo and Naomi Solace. They have a son, Will Solace."

"A son? You mean your new brother."

"Yeah." It was strange. Up until now Nico had just been Will's new brother. But to hear Hazel put it like that- well the phrase just seemed to give it a whole new meaning. Will _was_ his new brother. It gave Nico a certain ownership over him didn't it?.

"What's he like?"

"He's a year older than me and we go to the same school," Nico said blandly. "He's friendly, so far at least."

"Maybe I should bring Reyna," Hazel muttered more to herself.

He would _love_ to see Reyna again but… "No Hazel, Reyna's busy." Running a camp was a lot of work.

"You know she would want to check your situation out too."

"She can come later when she's free," he said vaguely, trying to placate her.

"Okay, I'll be over this weekend. Probably Saturday."

"Say hi to Frank for me."

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Nico stared at his phone. He knew Hazel just wanted to swoop over here and take care of him. Maybe drag him back to Camp Jupiter where he could be safe and near. But Hazel couldn't control him like that. He knew it and he knew she knew it too. He would do what he wanted, what he decided and only what he decided to do.

Now all he had to do was tell the Solace's he had a half sister and she was coming over to visit them this weekend. Great.

Though it seemed like he had bigger problems at the moment as he finally noticed Will who was coming closer to him.

"Who was that?"

Nico sighed. "Were you eavesdropping?" He asked in an attempt to push the explanations off.

"I only heard the end of your conversation." Will waited.

 _Screw it._

"That was my half sister, Hazel Levesque."

" _What?"_

Ten minutes later they were sitting cross legged on the floor of Nico's room.

"So Hazel's mom died and you went to Alaska to go and get her," Will summarized.

"Yup."

Will looked curiously at him. "But you didn't know she would die when you got there."

Nico sighed. "That… that's not why I went up there. Hazel didn't have the best mom." He pressed his lips together. "It's personal, I don't wanna get into it but suffice it to say I went to save Hazel from her mom but she ended up dying anyway."

Will stared at him with wide eyes. Nico bit his lip. "Anyway I brought her to camp Jupiter and now she's coming over to visit."

Will's eyebrows scrunched together. "What about your dad and her dad. Why didn't he…" he trailed off. Nico waited. "Why didn't he adopt her or take care of her? Didn't he know about her mom?"

"If dad were to acknowledge Hazel and acknowledge that he knew where she was then he'd be obligated to contact child services and they'd put her back with her mom's family. Who are as bad as her mom was."

Will frowned in sympathy. "That's tough."

"Yeah. Now you're getting it."

Will looked at him like he was trying put things together. Trying to fit the few and miscellaneous puzzle pieces of information Nico had given him together to figure out Nico himself. But he knew very little. Just the tip of the iceberg and there were there was a world of information Nico would never tell him and worlds of things Nico didn't even know about himself. Or wouldn't acknowledge.

Will's voice was decidedly brighter when he said, "well, I can't wait to meet her."

 _Of course not, she's another puzzle piece to the mystery of me._

Will's parents were fairly nice albeit surprised about the whole thing. They wanted specially to know about Hazel's living condition but Nico assured them that his sister was well taken care of and just fine.

Hazel came over sometime before dinner and when Nico opened the door, he was hit with a wave of homesickness. That was so strange. How could anyone be homesick for a person? But in a way it made sense because Hazel was the only real family he had left.

She hugged him tightly and her curly hair tickled his face.

"I missed you Nico."

"Yeah Haze, I missed you too."

She looked behind him for a second, into the house.

"Whoever these people are, they better be feeding you right because I swear I could feel your ribs through your shirt."

They sat at the dinner table, Hazel chatting away with Apollo and Naomi. She had charmed them easily because Hazel was sweet and easy to like. Now they were weighing the merits of different approaches to homelessness.

Then somehow they ended up in Nico's room; him, Hazel and Will.

"Nico told me a little bit about your past." Nico froze as Will opened with that sentence. "Just so you know, if you ever needed a place to stay I'm sure my parents would be more than willing to have you." Will looked at her with a mix of compassion and gentleness.

Hazel raised her eyebrows just a bit. She didn't seem offended just mildly surprised. She glanced at Nico for a second, who looked uncharacteristically apologetic, then turned back to address Will. "Thank you, that's very generous but I'm good right now."

"Or if you ever just wanted to see Nico," Will pressed on. "Believe me, if my parents even knew Nico had a sibling they would have at least considered adopting you too," he finished earnestly.

Hazel laughed. "Wow, you parents must be amazing then. It's okay really, I didn't grow up with Nico so it's not like you're separating us or anything but I appreciate the offer. And I will visit Nico whenever I want or he'll visit me. I hope that's okay with you."

Will smiled reassuringly, "It is, really."

Hazel leaned forward, a teasing light in her eyes. "So, I guess this kind of means you're my brother now too."

"Barely," Nico threw in before he could help himself. Hazel ignored him.

Will blinked surprised for a moment. Then he smiled brightly at her. "I've never had a sister before."

"Me either. But now as exciting as this new development is, I really have to get back." Hazel stood up and Nico and Will followed suit.

"Won't you stay the night?"

"No, I told Frank I would only stay the evening."

"Frank?"

"My boyfriend," Hazel explained. "Also the praetor of Camp Jupiter," she added with a hint of pride in her voice.

"Praetor?"

"She means leader. The camp uses a Roman legion system. Hazel here is a centurion which means she's in charge of her cohort which can have up to 40 kids. There are two praetors in charge of the whole camp."

Will processed all of this. "You said Jason was a leader. Does that mean he was a praetor?"

Nico was briefly surprised he caught on so quickly. "He was."

Hazel looked between them in confusion. "Jason?"

"Jason Grace. It turns out that he going to our school."

Hazel's brows raised. "Really? What a coincidence. Though he did say he was taking time off to go to school," she mused. Then she focused on Nico. "And now you're classmates? That should be… interesting."

She turned back to Will with a smile. "Well, it's been nice meeting you Will. I can't wait to find out everything about you."

"Same here."

Nico watched bemused as they exchanged numbers. He had not anticipated Will and Hazel getting along so well. And why exactly was Hazel assuming he would stick around long enough for them to 'find out everything about each other'?

He stood on the porch alone with Hazel. It was dark out and the only light on the street came from the streetlamps. The windows of houses glowed with warm orange light, inviting and welcoming. It was quiet but a peaceful kind of quiet. Not the depressing, lonely kind you get at night in New York City.

"I changed my mind," Hazel announced.

He turned to her, eyebrow raised questioningly.

"At first I wasn't sure about all this. When you told me over the phone I pictured a dump with a bunch of kids running around inside."

"So what? They're rich and you're happy?" He asked skeptically.

"No. I'm happy that they genuinely seem to care about you. I can't imagine that's easy to come by." She paused. "I think this could be good for you."

He snorted, looking away. "Good for me? I'm not broken Haze, stop trying to fix me. I don't need help and besides you only met them once. They could be axe wielding murderers for all you know."

She gave him a hard look. "I'm not trying to fix you Nico but I _do_ think you need help. Everyone does. This place, these people," she gestured towards the house. "They could give it to you."

"They're not my family," he stated flatly.

"No one can replace your family, Nico. But we can always make more." She smiled softly. "Besides, a couple years ago I wasn't your family."

He sighed and hugged her. "That's different."

"Not really. Family doesn't end with blood," she murmured into his ear.

He squeezed her tightly for a second then let her go. "Text me."

"Sure." Hazel grinned and tapped her phone. "And now I have someone to give me updates on you."

Nico groaned and Hazel laughed.

* * *

Nico didn't notice Will who slipped into his room just as he was changing his shirt. Admittedly, Nico should probably have locked the door. Though to be fair, Will at this point ought to have left the room unnoticed. He should NOT have instead come closer and trailed his fingers lightly down Nico's spine. What happened next was instinct.

Nico shoved Will up against the wall in a heartbeat, his forearm pressing on his neck. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, heart beating hard, his muscles already tensing to run or fight.

That is, until his brain caught up with his body.

"Don't sneak up on me," he hissed threateningly. Nico's dark eyes were narrowed. His face was hard, expression dangerous. He let the true him reveal for a moment. The scary, dark and powerful person that he usually kept hidden.

"You're so thin," Will breathed.

Nico growled, "what?"

"You look starved. I could see the outline of your spine, all of your bones." Will didn't try to resist his hold or fight in any way.

Nico let go of Will and moved away from him. He was calmer now, the scary side of him hidden again. He considered Will.

"And that gave you license to touch me?"

Blue eyes met his. "No, I'm sorry I shouldn't have touched you."

His apology sounded genuine though Nico was learning that nearly everything about Will was genuine.

"Hmph." He went to put on his shirt which hung loosely on his frame as if he were a coat hanger.

"Why are you so skinny?"

Nico gave him an obvious look. "Well I did live on the streets for a few years."

"Yeah but you had money. Your dad made you a bank account."

 _Damn why did Will have to remember that._

"Yeah, well it's not like I always had the time…and remember I didn't have a kitchen so there's that and uh you get tired of eating fast food." He wracked his brain but couldn't come up with anything more.

"Well we have a kitchen here and real food. You need to eat more."

Nico snorted. "Thanks, couldn't have guessed that."

"But you barely eat at home. And sometimes you skip lunch at school."

Nico gritted his teeth. "What are you my doctor now? I eat what I can. If I ate portion sizes, I would probably throw up."

Will frowned, unaffected by Nico's sarcasm. "You shouldn't force yourself to eat more than you can but you shouldn't skip meals either. It's not helping you Nico."

Nico rolled his eyes. "I just don't have much of an appetite."

"Well what do you like to eat?"

"…I used to like risotto."

"Used to?"

Nico shrugged. "Like I said, I don't have much of an appetite anymore."

Will pondered this as he studied him. "You'll eat a little bit more everyday," he decided. "That way you can slowly increase your stomach size."

Nico crossed his arms. "Oh I will, will I?"

"If you want to get better."

"I'm fine."

"Then how about this," Will smiled slyly. "If you eat every meal, I'll make you risotto."

Nico gave him an 'are you serious' look. " _You_ can cook?"

"Sure."

"You probably couldn't make it right anyway." Nico smirked.

"I'll make it until you love it." Will smiled wider. "Do we have a deal?"

Nico rolled his eyes again. _If it would get Will off his back._

"Fine."

* * *

It took Nico two months to catch up with the rest of the freshman. It took him three months to pass them. It wouldn't have been a surprise to anyone who knew him. His Italian education had been slightly more advanced than the United States'. He had attended two prestigious private boarding schools and even after he dropped out, Nico liked to read extensively in his free time. So he might not have gone to school in three years; he did go to library's, browse bookstores and read newspapers. And then, perhaps most importantly, there was fact that Nico himself was just smart.

Will had set up a schedule at the beginning of the year to tutor Nico twice a week. He had originally insisted on four days but Nico managed to compel him to bring it down to two by arguing that he was already receiving extra help from his teachers. Nico had also argued that it made more sense for him to be tutored by another freshman since Will probably wouldn't remember his classes from last year but Will was quick to reply that he already tutored other underclassmen so there were no worries.

After eight weeks Will realized Nico no longer needed help. After ten, he was sure of it. But this didn't stop Nico from seeking Will out whenever he wanted help with a problem or lesson.

"Will." Nico walked into his room with a smile, too alluring as always.

Will pushed away from his desk. "What is it, Nico?"

Nico flopped down on his bed, laying on his stomach.

"What kind of bond does NaCl form?"

Will sat down on the bed next to him. "Okay so…"

Several minutes later Will had completely explained covalent and ionic bonds and the differences between them.

Nico eyes had not wavered from his face for the entire time. He seemed to study him. His unrelenting stare made it hard for Will to accuse him of not paying attention but that was exactly the impression he had gotten. That Nico was just listening to his voice and watching him but not actually listening to his explanation. Though when he quizzed him, he didn't hesitate.

"Ionic bonding."

"That's exactly right, good job."

"All thanks to you, teacher." Nico's smile seemed enticing.

Will swallowed. "No problem. Now next question…"

"Okay so you definitely need some more help on this." Will frowned. He was puzzled. Nico had gotten about a third of the questions wrong. The other times he seemed to know exactly what was going on. It really didn't make sense because he couldn't get the questions he had gotten right without knowing the answers to the other ones too. The concepts were the same after all.

Nico hummed in agreement, kicking his feet in the air. "Are you free tomorrow?"

Will mentally ran down his schedule. "I can help you Saturday. Yeah Saturday is good."

"Okay then." Nico rolled off his bed. "Thanks Will." He flashed another dazzling smile.

Will's heart skipped a beat. "Anytime," he replied breathlessly a few seconds late.

Nico walked out of his room.

Will let himself fall backwards onto his bed.

* * *

During Nico's second week of school, someone made the mistake of spray painting 'Faggot' onto his locker. Nico responded by cutting the brake lines on said person's car. It was quickly established that he was not one to be messed with.

Then, a while later, Bryce Lawrence made the nearly fatal miscalculation of trying to beat Nico up in the boys' locker room. He ended up unconscious in the school infirmary with a black eye, three bruised ribs, a fractured wrist and a month's worth of psychological trauma resulting from emotional humiliation. It didn't matter how pale and skinny Nico looked. He had survived on his own for quite some time. He knew how to fight dirty.

Besides his budding reputation, there was one other new development at school in the form of Jason Grace.

"Hey Nico."

Nico straightened up from the fountain he was drinking from and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Hey Jason," he greeted casually.

"Did you study for the geometry quiz?"

"Jason we don't take the same classes."

"How about the spanish homework? Can I copy it?"

"Still not funny."

"I bet Strauss still hasn't graded our tests yet, typical right?"

Nico rolled his eyes.

Jason laughed and punched him in the shoulder lightly. "We still on for this Friday?"

"Yup."

"Cool. I'll see you in class."

"No you won't," Nico called out to his retreating back.

Jason just chuckled.

He was friends with Jason Grace. Mr. Golden Boy. The joy and pride of the school. Unlike most friendships, which have amorphous beginnings, Nico knew exactly when his friendship with Jason began.

It was a routine pickup. While most kids found their own way to Camp Jupiter, the camp itself sometimes sent for people to be brought in. Usually these people were siblings or family members of people already in camp but other times it was just kids the camp caught wind of. Kids with no families, nowhere else to go. Kids in especially bad situations. When made aware of one of such kids, the camp sent out a few campers to find and rescue them and bring them to camp. Of course staying was completely optional but most people did not turn down the offer.

Jason was contacted by Camp Jupiter and sent out on a pickup because he was currently the closest to the kid who was supposedly staying one town over. Now Jason decided to bring Nico along because as it turned out, he met the guy in question before. They had crossed paths in New York, went to some of the same parties, had a few mutual friends if you could call them that. Jason decided Nico might be able to convince the guy to come with them. So he tagged along.

They found him, Randy his name was, at an abandoned decaying old house that had been taken over by drug addicts. People or more like ghost's of people were sprawled all over the place mumbling to themselves, passed out or drifting. Seeing things that weren't there, lost in fantasy worlds. For any regular person including Jason it was a sobering sight. Nico just wondered if he was seeing a glimpse into his future. But no, he would never let things get that bad. Sure he liked- no needed to get high every now and then but it wasn't like he was a crack or heroin addict. And yeah okay he'd experimented with them but he stuck to painkillers for regular use. And he knew when to stop, when enough was enough. He'd never end up like these people or so he kept telling himself.

They found Randy half passed out, lying on a cot between two other people, his arm heavily dotted with needle marks.

"Randy, hey Randy." Jason gently shook him.

"Mmh hm mh."

"Wake up."

Randy made some gargling noises in reply, his eyes rolling back.

"You need to come with us."

"Jason there's no way you're convincing him of anything until he's lucid," Nico said.

"Well we can't leave him here."

"No, we'll take him back with us. Wait until he comes to."

"Fine, help me get him up."

"Nico? Nico di Angelo?" A voice from the corner made them both turn.

A man in a gaudy purple suit emerged from a dark corner flanked by two big hulking black clad men. The man had chin length gelled black hair and a deep tan. His dark eyes seemed to strangely glint red. Everything about him screamed sleazy. And when he saw Nico he smiled broadly.

"Well I always thought I'd find you in one of these places…or the morgue."

Nico gritted his teeth as he recognized him. "Eros."

"Long time no see. What are the odds of us meeting again? I'd say it's almost fate."

Nico opened his mouth to retort but the dark haired man beat him to it.

"Tell me you've reconsidered my offer. It's a wonderful opportunity. One I don't just hand out to anyone."

Nico snorted. "Wonderful opportunity? How is doing your illicit dirty work a wonderful opportunity?"

Eros shrugged a little, still smiling. "It keeps you out of this place."

"Nico," Jason interrupted. "Who is this guy?"

Eros turned to flash a bright smile at Jason while his eyes studied him. "I am Eros, businessman, entrepreneur," he glanced at Nico. "And benevolent patron of lost disenfranchised youths everywhere." Nico snorted loudly. Eros ignored him.

"And you are Jason Grace. Praetor of the lovely Camp Jupiter. Oh sorry, former praetor."

Jason stiffened but wasn't too surprised. A lot of people knew about him.

"You've heard of me," he remarked in a neutral voice.

"Of course! A smart businessman makes a point to know all the players on the board."

"Whatever," Nico snapped. He had run out of patience. "My answer's still no, and we're not here to chit chat."

But Eros wasn't finished. "How's that sister of yours? Still dead?"

Nico froze.

Eros tsked with false sympathy. "It's a terrible tragedy. Still, while your father may not agree, I'm still happy it wasn't you."

Nico lunged forward only to be held back by Jason. The two hulking bodyguards immediately stepped protectively in front of Eros and drew guns pointing straight at him.

"Oh, put those away. This boy's got too much potential to kill." Eros' manner was still buoyant as if he wasn't the least bit fazed or worried about being attacked.

"Get out of here," Nico hissed seething. "And if I ever see you again-"

"Don't go making promises you can't keep." Eros winked. "We're leaving but I'm not giving up on you yet Nico."

Jason and Nico watched as Eros and his entourage left the decaying house. Then Nico shrugged out of Jason's grasp. He still felt like breaking something. And suddenly the filthy stench of the dump was unbearable.

"Come on. Let's get him in the car." Nico muttered turning back to Randy who was still lying semi conscious on the floor.

Jason silently acquiesced, bending down to help Nico pick up Randy and drag him out of the house.

Their rental was parked a block down in an alley next to a brick building. Once they had him safely in the backseat, Jason turned to Nico.

"Okay now just who was that guy and how do you know him?"

Nico sighed deeply. He didn't want to talk about this. But he knew Jason wouldn't let it go.

"He's a guy with his hands in a lot of illegal business. Drug trafficking, money laundering; that's just the beginning and even I don't know all of it."

Jason frowned. "Okay and you know him how?"

Nico pressed his lips together. "Eros, he sort of… well he takes kids in. Gives them a place to live, protection, a big salary and nice new job. In return they just have to do whatever he tells them. Which is usually illegal."

"That's horrible." Jason paused. "Wait, did he try to do that to you?"

"Yeah he's always on about me to swear my undying loyalty to him." Nico kicked at the loose gravel. "But he only wants me because of my father."

"Your father?"

"He's powerful and rich. I think Eros just wants to use me to influence him or get connections with him."

"And…your sister. What he said. Is she really- "

"Dead yes." Nico cut him off in a hard tone.

Jason just looked steadily at him. "How?" he asked in a surprisingly soft voice.

"Hit by a car," Nico responded in a flat, emotionless voice.

"I'm sorry." Jason hesitated. "What did he mean, your father might not agree but he's happy it wasn't you."

A bitter taste entered Nico's mouth. "My dad once told me he wished it had been me that died instead of Bianca. Anyways he said it in a quite public place and I guess Eros found out about it. I'm not surprised."

Jason looked shocked then enraged. " _Your dad_ said that to you?"

"It was after Bianca died and," Nico sighed. "Look, that's in the past. I can't pretend I haven't said horrible things to him too and I know he was just angry and bitter. We're on okay terms now."

Jason still seemed angry at the injustice. "Still, he's your dad. There's no excuse for saying that to you, to his own son."

Nico swallowed thickly. "I'd have been more pissed if I didn't agree," he nearly whispered.

Jason's eyes widened. "What?"

"It should have been me, Jason. I wish it was me. Bianca deserved to live, she had so much life inside her. I'm not saying I deserved to die but it would have been better if I had. She's a better person than me. She'd have gotten over it. Made something good out of her life. I'd give anything to switch." At the last word Nico slid down the brick wall to sit on the ground, knees drawn up.

"Nico, don't say that!" Jason slid down to sit next to him.

"Why not? It's true." Nico bit his lip, he didn't know why but suddenly everything was just pouring out. "She only left that stupid school to get away from me. That's why she joined the stupid girls group. Because I was too annoying to be around. Because she didn't want to take care of me anymore." Nico leaned his head back and closed his eyes. The recurring thoughts spinning around inside his head.

"What girl's group?" Jason gently prodded him.

"The hunters of Artemis. They recruited her and she left school to join them. That's why she got killed. Because she was out with them when-" he broke off, choking on his own words. "If it wasn't for me she never would have left school anyway."

"No, Nico that- "

"I can understand not wanting to take care of me anymore." He spoke fast now. The words just tumbling out of him. "After our mother died, that burden fell on Bianca and she deserved to be free of that responsibility." Nico's lip trembled. "But I was so annoying that my own sister left me the first chance she got? What does that say about me? I would have done anything for her and she abandoned me. The only person in the world I had. Do you know what that's like?"

"Stop right there. First of all what happened with your sister was not your fault. You can't blame yourself for that Nico. It was just a crazy accident, okay? Second, it sounds to me like she just wanted to live her own life. Don't take it so personally is I guess what I'm saying. I'm sure Bianca cared a lot about you after taking care of you for all that time. You were her only family too."

"But she left me."

"She wanted to try new things. Explore her options? I'm sure she wouldn't have left you if she didn't think you were safe and taken care of. Or that she never planned to visit you again."

Nico breathed in shallowly. "But then she left me again. When she died." His voice broke on the last word. "Now I'm alone. And I'll really never see her again."

Jason put his arm around him and rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. "I'm sorry. Truly I am but Nico, you're not alone. You've got people who care about you. Will, your new family, Hazel. And me."

Nico sniffled. He didn't where all this came from. It was like a dam had bust forth relinquishing a torrent he hadn't even known was there.

"Come on," he said getting to his feet. "Let's get out of here."

Jason drove, glancing over at him worriedly every now and then. Nico just gazed unseeingly out the window. His confession had left him feeling strangely empty. Devoid of any emotion for the time being.

Driving back home on the highway that night, Jason spoke up again.

"So what did Eros mean, he always thought you'd end up in one of those places?"

Nico rolled his eys. He thought Jason was done with the questions. And this one was fairly obvious.

"I won't, I know my limits unlike those people." Yes, he did know his limits. He just also wished he could always stop himself from not ignoring those limits when he was feeling really down.

Jason threw a sharp glance at him then turned back to the road. "Wait so you- "

"Have recreational fun? Yeah I do occasionally. Are you gonna turn me in?" he added sarcastically.

Jason furrowed his brows. "No," he said slowly. "But you shouldn't do that. If you need help quitting, you can come to me and I'd help you," Jason said turning to look at him with earnest eyes.

Nico scoffed quietly. "Okay sure, I'll keep that in mind."

"You should." Jason turned back to the road, ignoring his sarcasm.

Nico sneaked one more look at him then turned to face forward again.

After that, Nico and Jason became fast friends. At least it was the fastest real friendship Nico had ever had. Jason opened up to him about his family situation, his train wreck of a mother, his sister, his absent father and Nico found himself sympathizing with him. After all, he knew what it was like to have no family or a not so great dad. Jason, for his part, wanted to comfort him and talk to Nico more about his feelings and issues over his sister, his parents and the life he'd led thus far.

Nico found that Jason cared, like really actually cared about him. He couldn't get rid of him by pretending to act normal and fine which is what usually worked with people. Act like a normal human being for long enough and people will assume you are. But Jason's concern didn't stop after a few weeks or even a month. He was always trying to get him to talk about his feelings and thoughts and sometimes Nico indulged him. But most of the time he just didn't see the point. His life had tangled into a giant mess years ago and he couldn't even remember half the problems he had started out with. He could imagine his life before his mom's death as a single string like in the fates loom. He could see it turning into a giant tangled knot with her death and Bianca's death and running away. Getting bigger and bigger as he accrued more problems, more vices, more mistakes. And some knots were just too hard to untangle weren't they? Irredeemably unfixable.

Jason wasn't deterred. He hung out with Nico. Made him hang out with his friends, who soon became Nico's friends. And now Nico considered him to be one of the closest people he had. He was grateful for Jason, grateful for their friendship because he knew friendships like these were rare gems that people didn't often stumble upon in their lives.

On more trivial matters, Jason was popular. One of the most popular guys in the school. It wasn't really surprising. He was hot; tall, muscular, chiseled jawline, blond hair, ice blue eyes, and an air of confidence you only get after surviving on your own and being elected to run an entire camp of some 200 or more kids, he was an experienced and well trained leader after being praetor, he had a hot girlfriend and was nice to just about anyone.

Because of his friendship, Nico had gotten into the ranks of the popular elite. But people didn't quite know where to put him because Nico didn't fit in exactly one category. And no it wasn't because he didn't fit in anywhere but because he fit in too many niches. On the one hand, he had his reputation as a skilled fighter. He'd beaten people up and showed everyone that he had moves. So no one messed with him anymore.

Then, Nico liked to get high. He'd made connections with the other burnouts, stoners and junkies at the school. Sometimes they'd get together in the parking lot. When people saw him in this circle, they figured he was just another one of them.

Except Nico was smart, as already established. He was the type to ace tests without even trying. But he did try, not because he cared about his future or anything but so he could keep spending time with Will who was always open to tutoring him. His natural brains plus the effort put him above most everyone else in his class. Did this make him a nerd? No, because Nico was, there was no other word for it, cool. He looked cool, he dressed cool, he hung out with cool people, and got messed up with cool people at their cool parties, which he was always invited to.

His dark hair was messed up constantly because he could never be bothered to brush it. It stuck up in curls and made him look like he just rolled out of bed after having really good sex. His skin was as pale as porcelain and contrasted sharply with his black hair and eyes. His body was as thin as an addict's making his bone structure prominent. As for his clothes, well apparently the homeless look was in. His baggy shirts, ripped jeans, and beat up sneakers were fashionable now. No one needed to know how authentic his clothes were though.

Anyways, to throw things off balance even more, Nico was friends with Lou Ellen, Cecil, Austin and Kayla. And Will of course, though everyone knew they were brothers. The five of them were perfectly respectable people who sort fit in the middle of the social hierarchy. They weren't popular but they weren't nobodies either. They had friends and were open to intermingling their friend circles.

But Jason's friendship with Nico made him popular by default. Because Jason was very adamant about their friendship and always made sure to include Nico. Nico became friends his girlfriend, Piper, also one the popular kids and Leo, who was really more well known for being a class clown and blowing things up.

And then there was Nico's personality. He wasn't exactly friendly to other kids. Sarcasm, cynicism, and a sharp wit he used to distance himself from other people made him come across as a bit aloof. And he had no qualms about talking back to teachers or telling someone they were an idiot. Coupled with his fighting skill, this caused many people to label him as a bad boy. _If only they knew._ But he was charming when he wanted to be and well bred with manners that could impress any adult.

So no one really knew where to put him. He flitted through many different groups from the bottom to the very top. And he just became notorious by himself. He was Nico di Angelo. A category onto itself.


End file.
